Smile
by TwilaStryker
Summary: A collection of oneshots telling history of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee. Update: Looks like someone isn't as dead as we thought. Deemed AU due to BBS; CloudTifa ZackAerith SquallRinoa
1. Before the Worst

_"Before the worst,  
before we met,  
before our hearts decide it's time to love again;  
before too late,  
before too long,  
trying to take it back before it all went wrong."  
_-"Before the Worst", The Script

For a moment Aerith wonders how Tifa can be so confident.

She smiles and laughs like she doesn't have a care in the world; she can hold her own in one of the guys' wrestling matches but loves to play with the girls; she fits in well with anyone she sees. She's a born tomboy, and has just as many boy friends as she does girls.

Eight-year-old Tifa isn't afraid to run down the middle of the street, pulling Aerith and Rinoa along beside her. People don't say anything as they run by. They're used to her antics, and they're "just kids".

Aerith and Rinoa are used to it, too. They don't question what Tifa's doing or even why. They just allow themselves to be pulled along like rag dolls. When Rinoa finally does catch her breath to ask where they're going Tifa shrugs like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "We're going to go play with the guys today. I promised I'd go over there, and you two are going with me."

The girls stop at this--both of them haven't grown out of the "boys are stupid" stage and hanging out with them on the weekend sounds strange. But Tifa looks at them and puts her hands on her hips impatiently, and all Aerith and Rinoa can do is glance at each other before following her again.

She takes them back to her house--which Aerith finds as strange, because why couldn't she have just told them to come to her house in the first place?--and allows them to stop and catch their breath while she pulls her long dark hair into a ponytail. "I'm just going to go tell my dad," She explains and darts up the steps.

After she talks to her father she jumps down the steps two at a time and gestures for the girls to follow. "They're right next door," She explains hurriedly, not bothering to use the road as she cuts through to the next house. Aerith and Rinoa are hot on her heels as she knocks on the door.

"Who's there," A boy's voice calls from the other side.

"Tifa!" She shouts.

"Tifa who?"

"Just open the door!"

Aerith can hear laughing as the door finally opens, revealing a grinning dark-haired boy. "Hiya, Teef."

Tifa rolls her eyes. "Guys, this is Zack," She explains quickly before turning back to the boy. "Where are the others?"

"Outside. We're training." Zack turns and walks through the house, leaving the girls to follow. "They're such know-it-alls," Tifa says. "Ever since Squall got a practice sword for his birthday they do nothing but swing sticks around."

She opens the door to a tiny backyard; a row of hedges is all that separates it from Tifa's house. Just like Tifa had said, two boys are play fighting in the backyard, sticks in hand. Zack cheers them on from the sidelines. "Come on, Cloud! Take him out! Squall's got nothing on you!"

"Come on," Tifa tells them, running to stand beside Zack. "Go Cloud go!"

Aerith recognizes one of the boys; he's in her class, a timid kid with spiky blond hair. His cheeks are red and he's panting as he swings his stick forward like a baseball bat. The other boy she doesn't know, but he seems a couple years older than her, with straight brown hair.

As Cloud swings his stick Squall spots an opening, and jabs his stick at the blond's side. Cloud gasps dramatically and drops to the ground, catching his breath.

"My turn! My turn!" Zack shouts, grabbing Cloud's dropped "sword" and pointing it at Squall. "The only reason you beat him was because you're older. But you ain't got nothing on me!"

Squall rolls his eyes and ignores him, looking at the forgotten girls instead. "Who'd you bring, Tifa?"

"Oh! Yeah! This is Squall and Cloud. Guys, these are my best friends, Aerith and Rinoa."

"Nice to meet you," Aerith says politely. Squall doesn't blink but Cloud stands, and having caught his breath, walks over to them. "Hi."

"Now come _on_, Squall! Let me kick your butt already!" Zack insists. Squall rolls his eyes and picks up his stick. "Like that's going to happen."

"Go ahead and take a seat, this could take a while," Tifa says, sitting in the grass. Rinoa and Aerith sit down, Cloud hesitantly sitting down beside them. "Zack and Squall are pretty evenly matched. The only thing that's different is that Squall's a year older." She cups her hands around her mouth to make her voice louder. "Come on, Zack!"

Zack grins and swings the stick; Squall smirks in reply and blocks it. Tifa and Rinoa cheer them on--Tifa rooting for Zack and Rinoa for Squall--while Aerith and Cloud just sit and watch.

"They're a lot better than me," Cloud says suddenly. His voice is quiet, so Rinoa and Tifa don't hear him, but Aerith does. "It's probably just 'cause they're older."

"You think?"

"Uh-huh. I bet as soon as you get to practice more, you'll be just as good, even better."

Cloud laughs awkwardly, a blush rising to his pale cheeks. He smiles a small smile, the shy expression matching him perfectly. "Thanks."

**A/N: I know this isn't tragic yet, just wait until later -.-**

**This story is supposed to be a group of oneshots about Cloud and Aerith; however, the more I write the more it seemed to focus on other characters as well. Now it's going to be just a collection of Hollow Bastion/Traverse Town Oneshots Pre-KH1. However, Aerith and Cloud will hopefully still be a big part of the story.**

**Oh, and this originally isn't supposed to be Clerith (sorry to any Clerith fans). But I never know what will happen when I write, so... yeah. ****But thanks for reading!**

**-Twila**


	2. The Party Scene

"_Here's to the fast times,  
__the times we felt alive,  
__to all the nights that we forgot to get back home"  
_-"The Party Scene", All Time Low

They don't normally walk around Hollow Bastion at night, but this time it's different.

For at least an hour Tifa and Aerith have been searching the town, finally coming to a stop at the playground they used to play at when they were little. They don't visit it much anymore—they're twelve years old now and too old for "little kid" things, as Squall calls it. Aerith knows they're all just too busy between school and training, and he's just trying to act all grown-up, but she doesn't call him on it.

Tifa and Aerith don't go to the playground itself, but stay on the sidewalk across the street, sticking to the shadows. Tifa squints in the darkness, holding up a hand to block the last rays of the setting sun. "Do you see them?"

"I don't know. We're too far away, maybe we need to go closer."

"They've got to be around here somewhere." Tifa leads Aerith around the perimeter of the playground. She stops and rolls her eyes when Aerith lifts the hem of her dress to avoid a mud puddle. "Come _on_."

"I'm coming," She insists, and sighs when Tifa goes ahead. She tries to catch up, but Tifa is too quick for her. They've almost circled the block when suddenly Tifa trips and falls, suppressing a scream to a dull _oomph _in the dirt.

"Tifa!" Aerith whisper-cries, and runs toward her to find that she isn't alone. She's lying on top of two bodies, moaning softly; it's hard to make them out in the dark, but there is no mistaking a familiar head of spiky blond hair.

Tifa rolls over to find her face inches from Cloud's, whose face is bright red. As she turns she almost kicks Zack in the face; he jerks back just in time. "Zack? Cloud?"

"Get off of us." Zack tries to sound intimidating, but doesn't get far when Tifa is crushing him.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"One, two, three!" Zack and Cloud push Tifa off in an almost rehearsed fashion, sending her sprawling in the dirt. She jerks up, picking a leaf from her hair. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing?" Zack counters, rubbing his shoulder. "Besides tackling us, I mean."

"...Just walking around town. Or… looking for you! What are you doing?"

Cloud and Aerith shush them in unison. "They're right over there," Cloud whispers. "We'll get caught."

Tifa lowers her voice but it doesn't change her tone. "I can't believe you're doing this. Do you know how long it took Squall to ask Rinoa out? A freaking long time. I'm not letting you ruin this for them."

"Teef, chill. We're not 'ruining' anything. We're just watching."

"Spying," Aerith corrects. Zack blinks, like he's noticed her for the first time. "Don't tell me you're siding with her!"

"You're spying on them, Zack." She tries to keep her face serious, but her eyes are smiling. "Don't deny it."

"Am not! Just watching!"

Cloud shushes him again. Tifa look at him. "Why are you here in the first place, Cloud?"

"Um…" It's a useless question. Everyone in Hollow Bastion knows that wherever Zack goes, Cloud follows. He's like a puppy, but Zack doesn't seem to mind. "Er… Zack said he'd owe me big time? Which he still does." He shoots a glare at his best friend, which is promptly ignored.

"Come on! All we're doing is making sure Squall doesn't make an idiot of himself. Which he already has—three times, in case you're keeping count."

"Three times? No way. They've only been to eat and here at the park," Tifa says skeptically. Zack raises an eyebrow. "And how do you know that?"

"I just… dang it, Zack!"

"Hah! You've been spying too!"

"We have not! We… we were just walking around town and we just… saw them and—"

"Um, guys…"

"So there's no reason for you to act so high-and-mighty when you've been doing the exact same thing!"

"We were not! We were looking for you, because we knew you'd screw things up for them somehow!"

"Hey…"

"We are not screwing things up!"

"Guys!" Cloud shouts, and it breaks Aerith away from Tifa and Zack's argument. The two look up, surprised. "What?" They snap in unison.

"I think they see us."

Aerith looks up to see Squall and Rinoa at the swings, looking straight at them. Rinoa is waving as she swings back and forth; Squall has his hand pressed to his forehead in his usual why-do-I-have-such-idiots-for-friends gesture.

The others are too surprised to move, so Cloud smiles nervously and waves back.

"You guys are so dead," Tifa giggles, standing. Zack looks up to glare at her. "And you aren't?"

"Rinoa won't care. Squall, on the other hand will—I hope you've brushed up on your sword fighting, Zack, 'cause you're going to need it." She turns to leave, gesturing for Aerith to follow. Aerith stands and Tifa thinks for a moment. "Cloud, you come to."

The blond scrambles to stand. "Huh? Why me?"

"Zack 'owes you big time', remember?" Tifa grins, and Cloud smiles in return. The smile falters when he sees the look on Zack's face.

"You aren't leaving me, are you? Come on!"

Before he can speak, Tifa and Aerith grab Cloud by the arms, pulling him away and leaving the old playground, a gaping Zack, and the remnants of Squall and Rinoa's first date behind.

**A/N: So, this would have been up a lot faster if it wasn't for three things:**

**1: The release of Days;  
****2: A little thing I would like to call a life (well, tennis and the school play);  
****3. The fact that my computer decided to crash over the weekend, wiping everything I had.**

**One of the drabbles I had for this is completely gone, and I don't know if I want to type it up again. -.- Sorry. If I do, I'll post it, but… it was supposed to take place before this one. I can't remember if I lost a second one too, but I'm too lazy to look right now. Hope you enjoyed!**

**-Twila**


	3. This is Halloween

"This is stupid."

Rinoa frowned, waving a makeup brush in front of his face. "Be quiet, or I'll mess up."

Squall rolled his eyes but shut up, allowing her to continue. She knew his opinion well enough.

He didn't exactly hate Halloween, but there were some traditions he could do without—and dressing up to demand candy from neighbors was one of them. Halloween was a kid's holiday, and Squall was _fifteen_. There were better things he could be doing on a Saturday night.

But here he was, sitting at Tifa's kitchen table and letting Rinoa paint his face.

Their other friends were surprisingly nowhere to be seen. Cloud and Zack hadn't arrived yet, and Tifa had let them in only to leave—saying that she had to go help Aerith with her costume. Squall had hardly been able to get a word in edgewise before Rinoa was forcing him to sit down, opening a bag of makeup.

"Squ-all, you're moving again. Stop it or I'll be forced to accidentally-on-purpose poke you in the eye." Rinoa frowned, wiping her hand onto her blue-and-black striped tights. She was dressed as a witch—with a black dress, striped tights, pointed shoes, and a fake stripe of gray in her dark hair.

_Why am I doing this?_

_Because Rinoa said so._

Squall sighed but didn't move.

"Trick or treat!" Zack shouted as he opened the door—well, tackled the door was more like it. He tripped and almost wound up sprawled on the table, but caught himself just in time. He was dressed in what was supposed to be a "mummy" costume—wrapped in strips of a white sheet—but the strips had been tied around his arms, making him look like he was wearing a strait jacket. He struggled to move his arms for a moment before sitting down. "Spike, I need scissors ASAP!"

Cloud (who had entered quiet and unnoticed, like always) ran to the kitchen drawers, searching for a pair of scissors. Rinoa finally started laughing and Squall raised an eyebrow. "What the—"

"I asked Tifa to help me," Zack explained simply as Cloud began to cut his arms free. "Obviously a bad idea."

"It suits you," Squall said simply, causing Rinoa to laugh harder.

"Shut up."

"Zack, stop squirming or I'll cut your arm—there."

Zack grabbed the scissors and proceeded to cut his other arm free, speaking hurriedly. "Thanksbudcrapnowmyarm'sasleepIsweartoHolyUltimaandwhateverelseisouttherethatTifaLockhart is going _down_."

"I'm done, Squall."

"Finally." He stood up, examining his face in the mirror Rinoa gave him. His face was completely white, his eyes circled in black, and a red gash fell across the bridge of his nose.

"What is he supposed to be?" Zack asked, retying the pieces of fabric around his arms.

"He's a dead Squall," Rinoa declared. "Cloud, you're next."

"That's the stupidest costume I've ever seen," Zack declared.

"At least I don't look like I belong in a mental asylum."

"Touché."

"We're here!"

Tifa and Aerith entered through the front door, rather than the back. Tifa was dressed similar to Cloud—in all black, clothes dirty and torn, her face painted white and black like Squall's but without the blood. Beside her stood Aerith, dressed as a princess.

"Aerith, what are you doing? We're all supposed to be scary!" Zack insisted. Aerith crossed her arms, frowning. "I didn't want to be."

"Come on! We've got two zombies, a mummy, a witch, and a dead guy. The princess totally throws everything off."

"Did you actually expect Aerith to be scary?" Tifa asked. "I mean, come on. It's Aerith—no offense."

"None taken."

"Hey, Cloud's a zombie and he wouldn't hurt a fly, much less try to eat somebody's brains!"

Rinoa lifted the makeup brush from Cloud's face long enough for the blond to speak. "I wanted to be Vincent, remember? You were supposed to help me find the cape."

"Oh. Yeah. Well, a zombie's better."

"Done!" Rinoa declared, and Cloud stood up.

"Are we ready yet?"

"Just about—lemme grab my hat." Rinoa slipped past Aerith and Tifa to find it. She came back with the hat along with six bags. "Here, for the candy."

"Score!" Zack grabbed a bag and ran to the door, followed by Tifa, Aerith, and Cloud.

"I see you untied yourself," Tifa smirked as she went outside.

"Just wait, Teef. You're going down."

"You guys, hurry up or we'll miss all the good stuff!"

"This is stupid," Squall declared for the hundredth time that evening.

Rinoa rolled her eyes, a smile showing past her annoyed expression as she pressed a bag into Squall's hand. "Just suck it up and enjoy the free sugar."

**A/N: Squall doesn't seem like the Halloween type.**

**Well, this is one of those random chapters that I just thought of while passing out candy. It's not really that good, but I couldn't pass up the mental image of Zack in a strait jacket.**

**For time's sake (it's 11:30 p.m. while I'm uploading this) there is no song for this chapter, but oh well.**

**I do have the next actual chapter for this typed, it should be up soon... hopefully, as long as I get around to it and don't get distracted by National Novel Writer's Month.**

**Hope you enjoyed, and Happy Halloween! **


	4. Greatest Day

_Tonight this could be the greatest night of our lives  
__Let's make a new start,  
__The future is ours to find  
__Can you see it, can you see it in my eyes  
__Can you feel it now, can you hold it in your arms tonight  
_-"Greatest Day", Take That

In Hollow Bastion, you're basically considered an adult at sixteen. It's the youngest age you can join the Royal Guard, so most would quit school to join, whether to support their families or get away from school or for their own reasons. Few continue school after they turn sixteen.

And so a tradition started with the class below them; every year they would raise money to throw a party for the graduating class. Rumors and stories of parties past float through the school, each class ready to do better than the ones before them.

Only the top two classes can attend the party, (the givers and the receivers) unless you are invited by an upperclassman.

And Aerith is going.

She didn't believe it at first. She still didn't believe it when Rinoa declared a "girls only day" and took her and Tifa shopping.

"I don't see what's so hard to get," Rinoa said. She'd already found a dress—a pretty white halter-top that fell to her knees—and waited patiently for the others to finish.

"It's just weird." The party is supposed to revolve around a fairy-tale theme, and most of the dresses were already gone. The three were the only ones in the store, though, and spread out to find Aerith something wear. "I mean, he always teases me."

"Of course he does, because that's what guys do. It's like reverse psychology." Due to being both the oldest and the only one with a boyfriend, Rinoa has declared herself the "master of men". (Tifa tried to convince her otherwise, because her boyfriend is _Squall _and all of them have known him since they were like, six, but Rinoa shrugs her off.)

"But he doesn't even talk to me that much. I mean, only when we hang out with everyone."

"Because he's shy." Rinoa smirked, pointing a hanger at her. "Face it, Aerith. You're the only thing that can make loudmouth Zack Fair _speechless_."

She blushed and busied herself amongst one of the clothing racks. Rinoa turned to Tifa. "Are you going?"

She shook her head. "Some guys asked me, but I turned him down."

It's not surprising. Tifa is only thirteen but with an air of "maturity" about her; that, combined with her tendency to not talk to anyone beyond her circle of friends, makes her "mysterious" and popular with the upper classes.

"Hey, I think I found something." Tifa grabs a dress off one of the rack, and Aerith and Rinoa run over to look.

It's formal but not too fancy, with one-inch straps and a modest neckline. The flowing skirt sweeps the ground and reminds Aerith of the princess costume she wore for Halloween a few months ago, only better.

"You have to try it on," Tifa insists, pushing the dress into Aerith's arms. Rinoa giggles. "Does she have to? I can tell by that look in her eyes that she's already buying it."

_

* * *

_

"Aerith, you look a_maz_ing."

Tifa sits cross-legged on Aerith's bed, thumbing through an old book even though her attention is clearly elsewhere.

"You think?" Aerith spins around, watching her reflection in her mirror. The pale pink dress comes just short of touching the ground, and the skirt swishes when she moves. She doesn't wear any jewelry, but her hair is out of her usual braid, fastened instead in a half-ponytail that leaves brown waves falling down her back.

"Of course." Tifa gets up and stands beside her, watching the mirror and smiling. Aerith stares too. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing much." Tifa shrugs. "Just hanging out with Cloud while you four dance the night away." She sighs a little, which makes Aerith glance back at her. "I thought you didn't want to go."

"I don't." She shrugs again. "All the guys at our school are morons. They think you'll drool all over them because they're upperclassmen. They act like it would be a privilege to date them, and if you do go out with them they just treat you like a piece of property." She sighs and repeats, "Men are jerks."

"_Most_ men."

"_Most_ men," Tifa clarifies. Suddenly her eyes narrow, and she pushes Aerith's shoulder. "Hey! Stop focusing on me. This is supposed to be about you, not me."

Aerith giggles and Tifa joins in. They're stopped by the ringing sound of the doorbell downstairs, followed by Aerith's mother calling, "Aerith, Zack's here!"

"I'll leave through the back door," Tifa says quickly, squeezing Aerith's shoulder. "Good luck."

"Have fun with Cloud."

Tifa gives her a final smile, and then she's gone.

Aerith leaves her room and takes the stairs slowly, so she can get a good look at Zack standing by the door. He's attempted to look nice, but everyone knows Zack hates getting dressed up and formality in general, so the key word there is "attempted". His khaki pants are grass-stained already and his white dress shirt sleeves are unbuttoned, the right one pushed up to his elbow. His dark hair is as messy as usual, and his polka-dotted tie (polka dots? Really? His father's, of course) is loose and crooked.

She reaches the bottom of the steps, and she sees what Rinoa meant earlier. Zack notices her, but he has no reaction. He just blinks. It's a cross between comical and shocking, because Aerith's pretty sure he's never been speechless a day in his life.

She steps forward and waves a hand in front of his face, and he jumps as if he's suddenly jerked to consciousness. "H-hey."

"Hi." She giggles. "Do you want to leave before my mom breaks out the camera?"

"S-sure."

She gestures for him to follow and they leave the house, Aerith calling out "I'm leaving!" before shutting the door behind her.

They make it down the street without saying a word, heading towards the direction of the school. Aerith is wondering exactly what she should say when Zack speaks. "You look nice."

"Thank you." She stops and spins once, making her dress flare out a little. "You look nice, too."

Zack grumbles under his breath and pulls at his tie. "I hate this stuff."

"You look _handsome_."

Zack blushes a little, but the glimmer in his eyes is playful. "I got you something."

"Did you?" She keeps her voice teasing, and the awkward feeling that had settled over them washes away. Zack smirks and puts a hand in his pocket. "Yep. Turn around."

"What is it?"

"Just turn around."

She does so and shuts her eyes, and feels Zack next to her, his hands at her hair, tying something onto her half-ponytail. It takes him a while to get it right, and when Aerith squirms he protests "I'm not good with this kind of thing!" and laughs good-naturedly. Finally he lets go and announces, "done!"

Aerith turns and finds her reflection in a window. Her hair is tied back with a ribbon; it's simple, a strip of pink satin, tied into the best bow Zack could manage. She never does anything to her hair, apart from the usual braid, so seeing something different is a little surprising. She reaches up to touch the ribbon. "Thank you."

He grins at her, and she smiles back, and suddenly he grabs her hand, pulling her forward. "Come on; you don't want to be late, do you?"

"Of course not," Aerith answers, and the two start walking again.

She notices that Zack's hand never lets go of hers.

_

* * *

_

Aerith doesn't think much of Zack's class, and according to her friends they're all a bunch of idiots, but they've done a fantastic job of decorating the schoolyard for the party. Streamers and waves of fabric are everywhere (Aerith can see where Zack got her ribbon from) and the fairy-tale theme is enhanced by the shadow of Hollow Bastion's actual castle in the background.

Rinoa looks beautiful in her white dress and Squall looks nice as well (definitely more put-together than Zack) and they all laugh when they find out Squall and Rinoa were actually placing bets on if Zack would actually dress up or not. ("You owe me ice cream," Rinoa declared proudly.) They dance for a while; Aerith doesn't think she's very good at it, but Zack coaxes her through the steps anyway, blushing when Aerith asks how he learned. ("We taught ourselves, so we wouldn't look completely stupid.")

Eventually Zack and Aerith get tired and leave Squall and Rinoa behind, Aerith finding a table to sit at and Zack grabbing punch and cookies, and the two start talking.

It's different than talking with their friends. Aerith never noticed before, but Zack never talks about himself; he's always turning the focus on someone else. So she learns things about him she never knew before; she notices things too, little things like the way he drums his fingers against his leg when he's listening to someone talk.

Neither of them move to do anything else, so they just sit there and talk and talk and talk, occasionally glancing at Squall and Rinoa (who are still dancing, stopping every once in a while to talk to some people in their class). They're unaware of how much time has passed until a couple of kids start yelling form across the schoolyard.

"Whoa!"

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"Hey, Lockhart, wanna dance?"

Tifa shoots the last voice a glare and tightens her jacket against her body. She spots Zack and Aerith by a table and hurries over, ignoring the stares.

"Tifa?" Aerith blinks, and Zack raises an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"Have you seen Cloud?"

"What?" Zack looks over at Squall and Rinoa; the two are just standing there with confused looks on their faces.

"Cloud! He was supposed to meet me at my house but he never showed up."

"He lives next door to you," Aerith points out.

"I know! That's why it's so weird. I went to his house but his mom said he left already."

"Relax," Zack advises. "He probably went out to go buy something and lost track of time."

"Cloud?" She shakes her head. "Yeah, right. He doesn't lose track of time. Cloud's never late to anything and you know it."

"Well, ex_cuse_ me for doubting Spike's punctuality." Zack holds up his hands in mock defense. "No offense, Teef, but aren't you being a little overdramatic?"

Tifa fixes him with the same death glare she gave the boy who asked her to dance before spinning around and running to Squall and Rinoa. Zack watches her for a moment, and then focuses his gaze on the tablecloth. Aerith knows what he's thinking.

"You wanna go look for him, don't you?"

Zack looks at her. "You sure? What about—" He gestures around him, to the party.

"Don't worry. It's nice, but pretty boring." She takes a look around the schoolyard. Some people are eating, some talking, some dancing. "Where do you want to check first?"

"The park. It's closest by." Somehow Zack's gaze meets Squall's, and he gave a nod. Squall returned it—Rinoa didn't notice, too busy talking to Tifa—and Zack immediately started walking, so quickly Aerith has to almost run to keep up. "Wait," She calls, and grabs his hand to make him slow down.

_

* * *

_

The playground is deserted, probably because everyone is at the party. There's no one here—and definitely no Cloud. Zack slips his hand out of Aerith's and runs towards the jungle gym, leaving Aerith behind. She tries to catch up with him and suddenly her shoe catches on the hem of her dress, sending her sprawling with a surprised cry and the _rriipp _of tearing fabric.

Zack runs back to her. "Are you okay?" He asks, helping her up.

She nods, surprised more than anything, but gasps when she tries to smooth down her dress. There's a large tear in the skirt, almost torn completely off at the knee. "My… my dress…"

"Here, I'll take you home."

"But I want to help look," She protests.

"Aerith, you can't run around town in that." He pushes up the sleeve of his shirt and takes off his polka-dot tie, stuffing it into his pocket.

"But—"

"Come on. I promise I'll find you the minute we find him."

Aerith sighs. She doesn't want to admit it, but she knows Zack is right. She can't do much roaming around Hollow Bastion in a ruined dress. "…The second."

"The second," He repeats. "Let's go."

_

* * *

_

Aerith has been up all night.

She's been up in her room, but she hasn't been asleep. Her ruined dress sits on her bed, and she sits by the window, watching the outdoors. The clock ticks by, and Aerith can see the hint of the sun rising in the horizon.

She absently finishes her braid—it's taken awhile to do by herself, but then again she's had all night to do it—and glances out the window again. Still nothing. She glances at her bed, picks up the ribbon Zack gave her, and ties it into her hair.

Still nothing.

She doesn't see anything outside. The clock strikes five.

She stands up, putting her dress on her desk rather than her bed, leafing through an old spell book. She's in the middle of reading about the history of _Curaja _when something catches her eye.

There—white, brown, and black. It's hard to see in the dim light, but Aerith can recognize him at once. She debates opening her window to call to him, but she doesn't want to wake her mother, so she heads out of her room and tiptoes down the stairs instead.

Once she's out of the house she runs to him, leaving the front door open. Zack's surprised to see her, and just looks at her for a moment as she skids to a stop in front of him. He's just as tired as she is, if not more tired, with dark circles under his eyes.

"Zack?" Aerith whispers and tilts her head to the side, like she always does when she's worried about something. "Zack," She says a little louder.

She catches a good look at Zack's eyes in the rising sun. The look in them is strange—it isn't the usual mischievous look, or the determined way he gets when someone has the nerve to tease his friends. They're empty, and it's kind of frightening to see him look this way.

"Zack."

He yawns, so much that he sways and looks like he'll fall over for a second. "…Me and Squall looked…" He says tiredly. "We looked everywhere… Teef and Rin looked, too, until we had them go home, and we've stayed out all night, and, Aerith, we didn't find him anywhere. He wasn't home, wasn't at anyone else's house. I don't know what happened—" He stops to yawn again.

"Here, come into my house," Aerith suggests, pulling his arm. He doesn't move to pull away, so she pulls him inside. "You can sleep on the couch or something. I'll tell my mom you're here."

"Aerith…" Zack says, and doesn't sit down until Aerith practically pushes him on the couch. "I don't know what happened. It's like… I don't know. Like he disappeared or something. Just… gone." He repeats the words, more to himself than anything else. "Cloud is gone."

* * *

**This took me WAY longer than it was supposed to. It's pretty long though, so I hope it makes up for it. But, now that this is done, I get to continue with the story! (This was my main 'roadblock' chapter) **

**Well, at least I got it up. I should be asleep, because I have a Speech meet I have to get up for at like, 4:30, tomorrow, but I wanted to finish this. I want to finish this story before Birth By Sleep comes out in the US and deems this story AU, so I need to get working on it.**

**But it's okay if it's AU, because ZACK. FAIR. IS. IN. BIRTH BY SLEEP! -cue fangirl screams- Woo!**

**Well, I'm off to bed. New chapter should be up soon... unless it is one of the ones that got erased when my computer crashed. Hm...**

**Hope you enjoyed, and happy holidays!**

**-Twila**


	5. Otherworld

_Go into the sand and the dusk and the sky  
__Go now, there is no better plan than to do or to die  
__Free me, pray to the fayth in the face of the light  
__Feed me, fill me with Sin, and get ready to fight  
_-Otherworld, The Black Mages (Final Fantasy X)

Aerith is scared.

She's the only one who would ever admit it. Zack smiles and laughs it off. Cloud pushes it aside. Squall denies the feeling exists. Tifa looks for something to punch, and Rinoa gets down to the bottom of things. Even Yuffie, the eight-year-old girl Aerith has been baby-sitting for the past few months, declares she's not afraid of anything—even when she's clinging to Aerith's hand and fighting back tears.

Aerith is scared, though. Their world is breaking and dying and she watches the chaos in the streets and it's fear that she feels more than anything else. There's no anger, no grief; she watches the little antlike creatures and she's positively terrified.

There's only one thing that keeps her moving (besides little Yuffie dangling at her side). There's on thought that keeps her going.

_Find Zack. He'll know what to do._

Because Zack does always know what to do. He was the one she went to the day Squall and Rinoa left them for the Guard. He was the one who took on whoever had the guts to tease his friends. He was the one who had never stopped searching for Cloud—even when the people of Hollow Bastion tried to help, Zack was the one who kept looking and looking until Aerith was sure he would collapse from exhaustion.

(And even then, when Aerith was scared and she and Tifa cried and Rinoa worried and even Squall paled, Zack held tight to the thought that _everything_ would be _fine_ and _somehow, someway, someday_ they would find him and they would all be together again.)

Zack always knows what to do, and that's what she's thinking as she runs to Tifa's house. It's hard to believe this is happening; the streets are crowded with people and Heartless and screaming, lots of screaming. And Aerith can't do anything to help.

It's hard to believe that she'd been down this street yesterday, and it had been perfectly normal. It's hard to believe anything but chaos exists at this point.

She knows he's here. It's the only place where Heartless are thinning, and Tifa's house is far enough away from the center of town that the Guard probably haven't reached it yet. Through the black she sees Tifa, dark hair flying around her face as she swings gloved fists at the creatures hard enough to send them flying (but instead they just disappear). She sees Zack, swinging his sword with a wicked grin on his face, ignoring the fact that blood is running down his arm.

"Aerith!" The two exclaim in unison, although they don't stop fighting. Aerith doesn't speak but runs, ignoring the Heartless as they lunge at her. She slips her hand out of Yuffie's to set it gently on the gash on Zack's arm, murmuring a Cure spell. The wound heals and Zack gives her a smile in thanks.

"We need to find Squall and Rinoa," Aerith orders, grabbing Yuffie again and pulling her close. The little girl struggles against her grip and tightens her hand on the old shuriken she's insisted on carrying. "I fight to!" She shouts.

"No, you don't," Aerith answers. "Zack, we need to do something!"

"The castle?" He asks, running his sword through another Heartless.

Tifa nods. "I guess."

Zack shrugs, the casual motion looking strange on a battlefield. "That works. Castle it is."

Tifa leads the way, taking out any Heartless that come close. Zack is close behind her and Aerith pulls up the rear, pulling Yuffie along, and the two fall farther behind the two warriors when Zack grabs her hand.

The closer they get, the thicker the Heartless. There are some Guard and some people fighting them off, but it obviously isn't enough. Eventually they have to stop because there's so many of the black creatures in the way. Zack and Tifa immediately stand back-to-back—Aerith and Yuffie separating them—and start fighting again. It leaves Aerith to refocus on fear as she realizes she can do nothing but watch and wait.

A Heartless slips past their defenses and leaps at her. Yuffie grabs her shuriken and is eager to fight it, but Aerith pulls her back behind her and casts Fire. The spell is weak—she hasn't spent much time practicing her Black Magic like she should—and the spell doesn't stop it. Aerith squeezes her eyes shut and braces herself for the hit when she hears a gunshot. Her eyes fly open to see Squall, Gunblade in hand.

She's so relieved to see him that she doesn't notice that his face is covered in blood; then she realizes she's never seen the stoic Squall look so angry. "You guys okay?" He shouts over the chaos. The three nod, and he points behind him. "Follow me!"

Aerith runs to him and tries to heal his face, but he pushes her away. "Come on," he insists, picking up Yuffie and carrying her when he sees the girl dawdling behind. He leads them through the main streets, firing rounds off his Gunblade with his free hand while Yuffie throws her arms around his neck and hangs on tight.

They're right near the castle when it appears—a massive tangle of black that forms the biggest Heartless they've ever seen. It's bigger than the shops; Aerith stares up at it in awe, and judging by the way Zack and Tifa stop they stare at it too. Squall shifts Yuffie's weight in his arms. "Come on, hurry!"

He runs towards a door of a building near the castle when the Heartless slams a fist on the ground, shockwaves emanating from his hand and sending Squall flying. Yuffie falls beside him with a whimper, and Tifa and Aerith run to help them up. Squall scrambles to his feet without help, shaking despite all attempts to hide it. "We have to get past it. He's just in there."

"I'll distract it," Zack volunteers. There is no smile on his face now—he's all business as Squall gives him a long look. A silent conversation passes between his sky-colored eyes and Squall's lighter ones, and Aerith feels a pit form in her stomach as she watches it.

"Are you sure?"

"Watch over the girls."

Squall nods, wiping blood away from his eyes and onto his shirt.

Aerith is suddenly freezing, and she knows she isn't just frightened anymore. This is more than fear. This is much worse.

It's that emotion that makes her throw her arms around Zack, hugging him tight, tears springing to her eyes. Surprised, Zack brings an arm around her, the other dropping his sword limply to his side.

"B-be careful," She whispers, afraid to say anything else. What else can she say?

What can she do? She can't think of anything, and she wishes she could.

"Don't worry," He answers. And there it is—that trademark grin, even past the new look (is that sadness? Regret? She can't tell) in his blue eyes.

She kisses him on the cheek and makes herself let go, watching as he smiles at their friends and running towards the giant Heartless. Squall takes over then, becoming the leader he's worked so hard to be. "Let's go."

He leads them through the doorway into a hangar with a strange-looking ship; a man leans against it, toothpick dangling from his lip. "'Bout time, kid. We need to get going."

"Just give me a moment," Squall insists. He's wiping blood off his face again. "I need to go find Rinoa. Give me ten minutes, then we can leave."

"No time. If you wanna come, get on the ship. We gotta get goin' before this whole world does."

Squall visibly pales but obeys, walking to the ship almost robotically. Tifa lets go of Yuffie's hand so the girl can scramble into the ship. "This is Cid Highwind," he says, voice empty, before following Yuffie inside. Tifa is next, and Aerith follows her. She stops halfway when sudden realization dawns on her. "What about Zack?"

No one answers.

"He isn't coming, is he?" She says. Her voice is eerily calm and doesn't crack like she expects it to, when deep down she can feel herself breaking.

It's all gone—her home, her mother, Cloud, Rinoa, _Zack_. They're all gone.

She knows Squall and Tifa are watching her—Squall, bloodstained and grief struck, and Tifa, shocked and angry. They're waiting to see what she will do. Will she cry? Insist they wait, make them go back to him?

Aerith takes a deep breath, brushes the tears from her eyes, and gets on the ship.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, prepare for a huge long list of excuses. Long story short, I wanted to get this up last month, but we had the school musical and that kind of messed with my brain.**

**Long story long, I originally planned on making the Hollow Bastion destruction part a four-chapter long story arc (one for each point of view)--but, for some reason, Squall hates me. Honestly. I can write as Aerith or Zack perfectly fine. But Squeon refuses to let me inside his head. If I ever finish the Squall and Zack chapters, I will probably add them on as bonus chapters or something, but I read through what I have and all they did was elaborate what Aerith already says (and what is discussed in future chapters).**

**But I'll have a new update around Friday, because the next chapter's totally typed up! I've had it for a while :) I should get that update in before I lose my soul to FF13, and maybe another if I'm lucky.**

**...The fact that I am not able to write in Squall's POV is still really bugging me.**

**Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading!**

**-Twila**


	6. Whisper

_Don't turn away  
__(Don't give in to the pain)  
__Don't try to hide  
__(Though they're screaming your name)__  
Don't close your eyes__  
(God knows what lies behind them)  
__Don't turn out the light  
(Never sleep never die)_  
-"Whisper", Evanescence

The world is on fire.

It's the one thing Cloud thinks as he runs around. He doesn't know where he is. He doesn't know what's going on. He doesn't know anything, and yet here he is, running like a madman.

_He _is on fire.

His head and his arms and his legs and everything hurt but above all is his chest, his heart beating so loudly he can hear it. His hands are clenched so hard his knuckles are white as he tries to figure things out. _Where—how—why—what—ow—_

"You want to live? Follow me."

Cloud has no idea who the voice is coming from but he runs in the direction of it anyway. His body throbs, and he wonders faintly how long he can run without collapsing. He doesn't have a chance to guess; suddenly he's out of the burning building and on the ground, gasping for breath.

"Cloud! Cloud!"

He looks up and his eyes burn with a sudden, searing light. He moans and doesn't move, putting his hands over his eyes.

_What is happening to me?_

He doesn't know.

He feels a hand on his shoulder, and the touch scorches his skin. He shudders and pushes the hand away.

"Come on!" The voice shouts. It grates against Cloud's eardrums. "Aw, man, this is bad. This is real bad. _Really _bad. Cloud!"

Finally he gathers enough courage to open one eye, then the other. The light is unbearable, but he forces himself to wait until it fades.

A mass of red, blue and black is blazing with the light. It takes Cloud a moment to realize the mass is an actual person; his body is just covered in so much blood that he can hardly see his skin.

"…Cloud? You remember me, right? You wouldn't forget your best friend, would you?" He laughs, but the laugh falls short when Cloud doesn't move. "It's me. Zack."

_Zack_. The memories attack him fast, so fast he feels his head spinning. This is Zack: his best friend from when he was little, the one he always followed around so eagerly, the one who was always there to protect him. He doesn't look like he's going to do any protecting now: he's just lying on his stomach on the ground, body dripping red, leg bent at a weird angle.

"Cloud?"

"Z-Zack." His voice is quiet, hoarse, and makes his throat burn.

He can see Zack's face light up despite the pain. The glow that radiates him surges, making Cloud wince.

"Hate to say it, but I'm kind of stuck here." Zack chuckles. "Would you mind helping me out? There has to be some place the Heartless aren't hitting. We can find it. Wanna team up?"

Cloud stares at Zack as long as he dares before the light can blind him again. He reaches out a hand towards Zack's; his hand burns at the touch and he pulls away, hissing.

"Cloud?"

"_The light is unbearable, is it not? Maybe you are more suited to the darkness."_

"Huh?" Cloud looks around, but no one is there. Zack blinks. "Are you okay?"

"F-fine." Somehow he manages to make himself stand. His body sways when he gets there, but he keeps upright if only by willpower. "Come on."

He grabs Zack by the arm—careful no to touch his skin—and hoists him upright against him. Zack stumbles but balances on his uninjured leg, grabbing Cloud's shoulder tightly.

"Thanks, bud." Cloud takes a tentative step forward, and Zack hobbles beside him. "You know, I always thought I would be the one helping you out, not the other way around."

Cloud doesn't speak. Instead he focuses on how close the light is now—it's like the sun, blinding and burning and unbearable. He tightens his grip around Zack's torso, trying to get the pain out of his head. "Mm."

Zack doesn't speak again, so the two trudge along in silence. Cloud is pretty sure he is burning now, and feels his grip on Zack slip. The older boy jumps and looks at him and looks around, examining their surroundings. "What… Cloud, duck!"

Cloud doesn't have time to question him when something rams into his back, hard, sending both of them flying. Zack lands on his injured leg with a cry and Cloud bites back a scream when he feels Zack's hand on his bare arm; he can feel his skin sizzle.

Zack lets loose a long string of curse words under his breath, fighting past the tears to look up at the beast who has attacked them. It's a Heartless, of course. "Just freaking perfect!" He roars, voice echoing.

Cloud manages to shakily stand, picking up Zack's abandoned sword and staring at the Heartless. Compared to Zack, the black of the Heartless allows his eyes to rest for a moment. He adjusts his grip on the sword. "I—I—"

"Take him out, Cloud! You can do it!"

Looking from Zack to the Heartless catches him off guard, and he finds himself falling back against the ground. He waits for something, anything to happen when he hears the clang of metal.

"Z-Zack?" He looks up, but the figure looming over him isn't Zack. It's a man. He grabs Cloud by the arm, forcing him upright.

The man's skin is cool, and Cloud can feel the burn on his arm stop hurting immediately. "W-who are you?"

The man smiles coldly. His lips don't move, but Cloud can hear him speak. _"I am you."_

"M-me?"

"C-Cloud!"

Zack cries out and forces himself to stand, fighting back tears and swearing again as he puts weight on his injured leg. Cloud stares. _What are you doing? _He wants to speak, but his mouth can't form words.

Zack can't fight. He's a warrior, but he can't fight like this.

But he's a warrior, and he'll die trying. The light surges as he stands on one leg and hoists a piece of debris—a piece of wood from something--over his head. Cloud shields his eyes, and suddenly realization hits him like a ton of bricks.

It's the light. They're here for Zack's light. They're drawn to it like moths to a flame.

And Cloud can't do anything. He's riveted by the sight; the contrast between Zack's bright light and the inky black of the Heartless is so great it leaves spots dancing before his eyes.

"_The fight between the dark and the light. It's just like you, is it not?"_

Cloud turns, but no one is there.

"Cloud!" Zack yells. He's still upright, but falls when a Heartless slams into his back. The Heartless pounce then, tackling him, trying to destroy his light. Zack struggles against the weight.

Cloud finally finds the strength to run to him, flinching against the Heartless as they scratch and tear at his clothing. Somehow he manages to find Zack's hand in the mess and grabs it.

His hand burns. Cloud screams.

"_The light doesn't suit you, does it? You are more comfortable with the dark."_

"C-C-Cloud," Zack gasps, grabbing his arm with both hands. The pain increases and burns streak across his forearm. Cloud pulls harder but he finds his hand slipping, weakening as the Heartless swipe at him.

"_Say I gave you a choice." _The man is behind him now, voice as calm and cold as the hand on Cloud's arm. The feeling is strange; one part of him freezing, the other burning. _"Would you choose? Live in the dark, cold and unfeeling, or stay in the light, burned and blind?"_

"C-C-Cloud…" Zack moans, and his hand slips.

"_The dark or the light?"_

"B-but…" Cloud stutters, searching for something to say, to do. He can't think. He can't do anything.

"W-what… W-what are you—"

"_Make your choice."_

"I… I just…" He can't take it. Cloud squeezes his eyes shut. "Make it stop! I want out of here!"

"_Fair enough." _The man grabs his shoulder now.

Zack scrambles for a better grip, but the Heartless won't let him. His eyes widen like he sees the man for the first time. "W-w-who are y-you?"

The man smiles a cold smile. It doesn't quite reach his eyes—cold, green, catlike eyes that burn with determination. "Wouldn't you like to know."

And they are gone. Zack is gone, the Heartless are gone, everything is gone. And for a moment Cloud feels… normal.

But he will never forgive himself for it.

* * *

**A/N: This has to be my favorite chapter I've written so far.**

**...I am so mean...**

**Next update can be predicted to be... after Final Fantasy XIII is released, probably? I've got a combination of G.I./choir sucking my life away in March, but I'll do what I can.**

**Yay emo Cloud!**

**-Twila  
**


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